


Sotha Sil and the baby Psijic

by TonalModulator



Category: Elder Scrolls, Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, Elder Scrolls Online
Genre: Artaeum, Gen, Psijic Order, Sotha Dad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-01
Updated: 2020-02-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:27:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22501729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TonalModulator/pseuds/TonalModulator
Summary: A Dunmeri "baby Psijic" asks Seht if Seht is a god. They have a discussion about what that means.
Kudos: 38





	Sotha Sil and the baby Psijic

[Artaeum, late First Era]

Sotha Sil scanned the faces of the students standing before him as he finished explaining the lesson. This was the current youngest cohort on Artaeum—the “baby Psijics,” as they were colloquially called—most around five years old. Sometimes they needed topics explained a few times before they could understand them.

“Any questions?” he asked.

Those who were paying attention shook their heads.

“Elamawen? Merionael?” he asked two students whose attention had gotten lost in favor of some nearby sheep. “Any questions?”

Their attention snapped back to him, and they shook their heads.

“In that case, class dismissed.”

The students began to roam around the field and play with one another, while being loosely herded by Vancaradil, the Psijic in charge of their care. As Seht turned to leave, he felt something tugging at his robes.

“Muths-cerum?” came a small voice from near his feet, extending the Dunmeri honorific prefix to the Aldmeris word.

Seht looked down to find the source.

“Ah, hello there, Daril,” he greeted the young Dunmer boy. “How can I help you?”

“Siricarya says you’re supposed to be a god,” he said. “Are you a god?”

“Hmm,” Seht said. “That is a rather complicated question. Shall we take a walk?”

The boy nodded and took Seht’s hand. “Can I levitate?” he asked.

“By all means.”

Seht knew that the boy’s parents were from House Telvanni, and that he probably learned to levitate shortly after he learned to walk. Still, young ones tended to lose track of their magicka stores and could easily overexert themselves. He kept a close watch on Daril’s energy level as the boy floated.

“So, Daril, the answer to your question is not a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ Some people see me as a god, while others do not. Do you know the Tribunal, or the Three?”

Daril looked like he was deeply concentrating. “ALM, SI, VI?” he asked, pronouncing each syllable on its own.

“Correct! Do you know who ALMSIVI are?”

“Um…gods, I think. But no one talks about them here. They talk about Auri-el and stuff.”

“Do you know what ALMSIVI stands for?”

The boy shook his head.

“‘ALM’ stands for Almalexia, ‘SI’ stands for Sotha Sil, and ‘VI’ stands for Vivec.”

“Sotha Sil…Like Tutor Sil?”

“That’s right. I am Sotha Sil, the ‘SI’ in ALMSIVI. Or just Seht. You know your Daedric letters, I’m sure?” he asked with a smile.

Daril nodded vigorously. “So if you’re one of the ALMSIVI, then you _are_ a god?”

“Perhaps. That still depends on who you ask. You mentioned that no one talks about the Tribunal here. That is because my companions and I are Dunmeri gods. Here on Artaeum, most people are Altmer. Altmer hold different gods.”

“So you’re not a god here?”

“Not to the Altmer, certainly,” he said. “In fact, some people here knew me when I was just a young adult, long before the ALMSIVI existed.”

“But I’m a Dunmer,” Daril said. “Does that mean I hold you?”

“Perhaps,” Seht said again. “My companions and I serve the Dunmer people as gods and high ancestors, and most House Dunmer see us that way. Perhaps that includes you. But, you are also a young Psijic. Do you know of the Psijics’ Old Ways?”

The boy thought for a moment, and then shook his head.

"The Psijics do not hold specific gods the way most cultures do. According to the Old Ways, the gods of most cultures are simply powerful ancestors. The Psijics will respect those they deem worthy and disregard or reject the rest.

“So, Daril, the matter is up to you. If you stay with the Psijic Order when you grow up, then you will need to decide for yourself if I am worthy of your respect. If, instead, you decide to leave the Psijic Order and return to Morrowind, then perhaps you will see my companions and me as gods. But even then, many from your House see us as nothing special, and so maybe you will ultimately feel the same.”

As attentive as the boy was being, Seht could tell his magicka stores were getting dangerously low.

“Are you getting tired?” he asked.

Daril shrugged, then nodded.

“I can take over your levitation spell.”

Daril hesitated, and then shook his head adamantly.

“No? Shall I carry you instead?”

Daril thought for a moment, and then nodded and leapt into Seht’s arms.

“Well, I think you just answered your own question, Daril,” Seht said. “If you considered me to be a god, you would not hesitate to trust me to levitate you. But, that is okay. Perhaps someday I may earn your trust.”


End file.
